Project Identification

Project File #: 3340-B59

Project Title: Multicultural Youth Outreach Project: Blacks & Jews in Dialogue and The Concern Kids

Project Sponsor: Black/Jewish Dialogue of the League for Human Rights, B'nai Brith Canada

Project Location: Toronto

Project Duration: 1 Year

Project End Date: June 30, 2004

Briefly describe how your project came about. What was the crime/victimization/community safety problem or situation you were trying to resolve?

Post-September 11^th 2001, there has been a well-documented rise in ethnic and racial conflict and hate-based and related activity outside and inside Canada - across the ethno-racial spectrum and particularly in the Jewish and Muslim communities. Numerous articles and media presentations have addressed the issue. For instance, in the aftermath of September 11th, newspaper articles have recorded scores of incidents from vandalism of synagogues and mosques and Hindu and Sikh temples to attacks on individuals.

In the context of the strained ethnic and race relations in the global climate, and the avalanche of deepening crises and open conflicts, Blacks & Jews in Dialogue (BJD) in primary partnership with The Concerned Kids Charity of Toronto (Communication Through Puppetry), committed to launch a public awareness and education program in the public school system aimed at bridging the gap between ethno-racial groups in the post-September 11th world.

This youth outreach program was specifically designed to provide schools and teachers with an exciting new teaching resource in the field of anti-racism and anti-discrimination, and multicultural education. In its initial pilot phase, the project outreached to 12 schools in the Toronto area, bringing together an elementary school audience from many different religious and ethnic groups.

What did you plan to do and what actually happened?

Stated Objectives

Actual Results

We planned to create a program allowing young people to talk openly about their feelings and experiences about culture, and to develop effective skills to respond to others who are different from themselves in a positive way. We considered this project to be prevention education, which will prepare young people to tolerate others, to make healthy choices, and to see they are worthy and capable of choosing positive lifestyles. We also believe(d) that education is about passing on our message and legacy in the battle against prejudice, racism and intolerance. Prevention education allows a young person to make healthy choices, to see they are worthy and capable of choosing positive lifestyles. We also believe that education is about passing on our message and legacy in the battle against prejudice, racism and hate to the next generation.

As the sponsoring organization, the BJD wanted to contribute to increase public awareness of, and support for, effective approaches to prevention of ethnic and racial discrimination and crime, and to increasing cultural tolerance. We believed we could affect progressive social change by increasing the outreach measures to multicultural youth, by deconstructing the causes and nature of racism, and also by providing strategies for the prevention and intervention of racist activities and beliefs. At the end pilot project, it became clear that we are unable to make definitive determinations regarding the success of this goal. While we have received a representative sample of evaluation forms that speak of the importance of such an initiative, we now believe more hands-on and comparative follow-up is required to reinforce the (performance) message and to evaluate/measure change in the cultural contacts of the students.

We planned to deliver the pilot project in 12 schools in the Toronto area, bringing together an elementary school audience from many different religious and ethnic groups.

We reached our target population, delivering the pilot project to all twelve venues, and diverse school populations from across the Metropolitan Toronto Area

The project goal was to promote safer communities by encouraging healthy inter-cultural discourse between youngsters of diverse religions and ethnic backgrounds, by delivering educational programming that is age-appropriate and culturally sensitive, to be delivered by trained youth at the primary and middle school levels.

The results of the program in the area of intercultual discourse were our most rewarding. We found that education through puppetry was a particularly effect method of teaching about diversity and tolerance to students at the primary and middle school levels. Students were able to interact with puppets and ask questions in a relaxed, non-threatening environment, which facilitated learning and retention. The program provided teachers with another effective teaching tool.

The project was designed to be delivered by trained young people ages 16-24 in order to provide youth leadership opportunities and crucial public education initiatives.

We succeed in the goal of providing youth leadership development opportunities. Our puppeteers were drawn from our partner communities, and grew in performance skills and confidence throughout the duration of the project. In a final debriefing session, they all express the believe that they had learned allot about culture and tolerance themselves by the end of the pilot. They also expressed their interest in being involved in the future in this or other social action initiatives.

The follow-up phase of the program planned to include a question and answer session component following performances; soliciting feedback and answering questions from schools and students on the website. We also planned a “Follow-Up Activities” kit containing questions for classroom and small group discussion and creative dramatics. The plan for the follow-up kit will was also contain instructions on being mentors. And we planned too mentor students on-line through a question and answer section on our website.

We included a follow-up phase in the program with a kit of “Follow-Up Activities” to reinforce the message of the puppet performances. The kit contained questions for classroom and small group discussion and creative dramatics. We soliticted feedback by providing evaluation forms for teachers to fill out and return. However, our plan to mentor students on-line did materialize. While we did develop an on-line component providing information about the program and the participants, our on-line capabilities did not contain an interactive component with students.

If there were any differences between objectives and results, what were the reasons for those differences?

One of our primary goals was to increase community capacity in the area of student “diversity” mentoring, particularly through interactive web technology and on-going feedback from our student audience-stakeholders. We were unable to sustain this on-going contact with the students from the schools we visited. We believe this was primarily the result of the nature of the time-limited pilot project, and financial management decisions and constraints.

Another of our primary objectives was to begin to compile and distribute “best practices” technology and/or effective approaches for the prevention of ethnic and racial discrimination and crime, and increasing cultural tolerance. The nature of the pilot project itself prevented us from achieving this goal (to any definitive degree). The performances were isolate events that were not conducive to wider comparisons. We believe that expansion of the pilot would provide an opportunity for comparisons and stonger inferences. We also believe that a wider analysis of other education projects and initiatives is needed, through corresponence and feedback from a range of educators and community organizations.

Planned Activities

Actual Activities

Train puppeteers from diverse ethnocultural community backgrounds

Puppeteers were given a six week training program

Script development with input from community partners; publicize program to promote community participation

Liaised with community partners on script and publicity. Held a community events-performance to launch (tune-up) program in conjunction with community partners.

Promotion through brochures and personal follow-up; ongoing monitoring by community advisory board to promote the project and discuss related safe community initiatives.

Promoted program through flyers, media and web-advertizing; and maintained on-going monitoring and school/community contact.

Development of school interest and involvement.

Utilized TDSB contacts (who are also members of the BJD including Pauline Beder, York Region District School Board; Kirk Mark, Toronto Catholic District School Board, and Claude Norville, Principal McMurrich Public School TDSB); developed further school interest through direct contact and solititation.

Strong base of committed, trained youth puppeteers; scheduled performances for diverse ethno-racial school populations.

After six weeks training and “on the job” refinements we ended with a strong base of committed puppeteers. During the training period we also made and maintained contacts with a wide range of schools from across the broad specturm of the cities public school system.

If there were any differences between planned and actual activities, what were the reasons for those differences?

We planned to create a community advisory board to promote the project and discuss related safe community initiatives. This was achieved. Our board was comprised of community partners, race relations experts and community activists who vetted our scripts and contributed valuable advise and feedback. However, a primary function of the advisory board, to distribute report materials related to “best practices” was unfulfilled. The reason for this difference in our planning was our inability to draw broad conclusions from our pilot project (in the end, our experience suggested further programming is needed). We also concluded that we need to improve the lines of communication for sharing information with relevant audiences. While we intitated new contacts (such as, participating in partnership forums that were held in Greater Toronto Area, Durham and Peel regions, focusing on generating a network for the exchange of information, and development of best practices in youth crime prevention, sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Public Safety and Security and Operation Springboard), more sharing opportunities are needed to build a body of reliable information in our area of endeavor for the development of best practices in managing diversity and youth crime prevention

Were there any unexpected successes and/or challenges?

Successes

Challenges

The encouragement of positive discourse and promotion of diversity and community understanding throughout puppet performances

Initially, we experienced some delay in the acquisition of funding. However,

the grant monies from our funding partners was eventually in place and we

succeeded in scheduling and performing our full complement of events to enthusiastic audiences from March through mid-June. This late start did, however, impact the formal feedback and return of our “Multicultural Appraisal Survey” from the participating schools. To date, we have obtained three returned appraisal surveys from the twelve participating schools, prior to school closing in June. We anticipate obtaining the remainder of the surveys upon the re-opening of schools in September.

Increase youth participation and outreach

Recruit participants as future puppeteers

Increased demand from schools for performances.

Evaluate school and youth feedback, as well as planned participation in follow-up phase.

Expansion of community partnerships in social development approach to anti-racism and crime prevention.

Production and distribution of appropriate information through input of partners, race relations experts and community activists.

Promote healthy interaction and partnerships for saft communities

What were the reasons for these unexpected outcomes? How did you address them?

The main reason for our evaluative procedures and information distribution contingencies was the summer break disrupting our youth recruitment, feedback procedures and information assessment.We will actively follow-up on these initiatives as schedules permit.

What worked well in this project? What didn’t work?

The program of education through puppetry was an effective and age-appropriate means of teaching about diversity and tolerance to public school children. In addition, the youth puppeteers all acknowledged that they grew in commitment and experience through the course of the pilot. However, the antipated result of attacting and increasing youth involvement in program delivery did not materialize.

What would you change if you were starting over?

If we were to start the project over, we would like to lengthen the performance schedule, create (at least one) more performance troupe(s) to meet the growing need for this educational tool in schools, and widen the target audience to ethnocultural and community-based organizations.

How has your project developed and/or strengthened broad, community-based partnerships that can deal with local crime prevention issues?

1. Representatives and professionals from several organizations served in an consultative and advisory capacity as part of our on-going development project and on our multicultural advisory board regarding assistance with designating youth trainers, consultation on script writing and venues, and participant selection. These organization include:

The Settlement and Integration Services Organization (Hamilton/SISO) functioned in an advisory and consultative capacity in the area of designating youth trainers, and assisting with script writing. SISO serves a diverse ethno-cultural constituency, and is thus in a good position to advise on this project.

The Toronto Police Service (Community Policing Support Unit) provided advisory support to the Board of Directors of the Black/Jewish Dialogue. An officer (Stacey Wilson) has been assigned in a consultative capacity.

[And] The Somali Canadian Community Club served in an advisory and consultative capacity in the area of designating youth trainers and assisting with script writing, and laying the necessary groundwork for future outreach and partnerships with the wider Muslim community.

We have also shared information in order to received pertinent feedback from multicultural service agencies, through the distribution of our materials directly to community service groups, religious organizations, and youth service groups, including the Mayor's Committee on Youth, and the Toronto Residents In Partnership, the Ontario Black History Society, the Jamaican Canadian Association, the Ontario Multicultural History Society, The Archives of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto, Holy Blossom Temple Archives, the Midyanta Association of Somali Service Agencies, the African Resource Centre, the Sekeyreman Society of Ontario, the Rwandan Women's Association, the Southern Sudanese Community Organization of Greater Toronto, Operation Springboard (and the Youth Justice Act Conference), and the MOSAIC (umbrella organization of Mississauga).

The highlight final performance was conducted at the “Buddhist Temple Mississauga” - located at 6525 Millcreek Road in Missasauga (401 and Erin Mills Parkway). The Black/Jewish Dialogue and The Concerned Kids in conjunction with MOSAIC group showcased the multicultural puppet show for community and political leaders and organizations showcasing the important message of tolerance and diversity the project has for school children everywhere.

2.      In addition to our direct parnership development, members of our project also made contact and participated (through liasion Jean Milligan, Supervisor, Project Development Operation Springboard) in a series of forums (in February) and youth criminal justice conference (March).These information and partnership forums were held in Greater Toronto Area, Durham and Peel regions, focusing on generating a network for the exchange of information, and development of best practices in youth crime prevention. These first-of-a-kind community forums brought together youth services professionals, local communities, young people, the business community and the police in order to provide information on the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and to facilitate partnership strategy sessions

There are an array of sponsors providing leadership for these events, most notably: the Ontario Ministry of Public Safety and Security, the City of Toronto, Toronto Police Services, Rotary Club of Toronto, the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area, the Jamaican Canadian Centre, and the Toronto Youth Cabinet, the City of Toronto's Community & Neighbourhood

Services, and Operation Springboard (specialists in "alternative to custody" youth programing, and the primary organizers and "lead hand" of the upcoming sessions).

The main objective of these forums and youth criminal justice conference was to provide a networking and partnership building opportunity for local community members, social and justice professionals for the purposes of accessing both traditional and non-traditional resources that will support the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

How has your project increased public awareness about effective approaches to crime prevention?

The project promoted safer communities by encouraging healthy inter-cultural discourse between youngsters of diverse religions and ethnic backgrounds. We developed and deliver educational programming to counter the growth of cultural intolerance that is age-appropriate and culturally sensitive, and was delivered by trained youth at the primary and middle school levels. The context of a program for youth, delivered by youth attracted positive attention, and increased the profile of the pilot.The project received wide scale publicity in the major (TV and newspaper) media, and lead to contacts with other community service organizations.

How has the project increased the community’s capacity to deal with crime

and victimization?

The project has increased the community’s capacity to reduce intolerance, racialized crime and victimization by providing a platform for new community partnerships between our group and others.

What kind of impact did the project have on priorities of the National Strategy?

Children

{Interactive impact} It was noted generally that students across the spectrum tend(ed) to be uncomfortable with people who are different, and are usually with their like friends. The show helped to breakdown some invisible barriers in the setting and context of the performance, by getting kids to consider other’s comment about culture and difference

Youth

{Interactive impact}Our youth performers in the outreach program gained invaluable experience in a youth leadership development initiative.

Aboriginal people and communities

{Performance impact} The first vignettes in the Multiculturalism Program focus on a variety of issues within multicultural education and are most appropriate for other elementary school children (grades 3-5). One such vignette, “'I'Is Not for Indian” deals with stereotypes through the eyes of Daniel a young man of Indian heritage.

Women’s personal security

{Performance impact} The first vignettes in the Multiculturalism Program focus on a variety of issues within multicultural education and are most appropriate for other elementary school children (grades 3-5). One such vignette, “Anything You Can Do...” focuses on gender issues and how gender bias can limit opportunities.

Other

N/A

Who were the participants and how were they involved in the project?

The forty-five minute interactive puppet show, which was followed up with a discussion and dialogue component, consisted of four puppeteers and a back-up team of understudies. The cast will be comprised of teenage volunteers from both the Black Muslim and Jewish communities, reflecting the make-up of the Black-Jewish Dialogue, as well as additional trainee puppeteers from other ethnic groups. Each of the actors will play the part of a character of another ethnicity than their own.

Our youth leadership component, contributed to equipping youth with the skills necessary to carry on this important work. Two of the most important aspects are personal relationships and mutual understanding. The project has active involvement of many people affected by the issues, and has the support of a broad range of relevant organizations. By its very nature, the project accommodates itself to diverse points of view from within the communities, and engenders mutual interests between them.

How has your project encouraged broader community participation in safety and crime prevention issues?

Through the exposer of the Multiculturalism in Action program, we established a new contact and potential partner organization with the MOSAIC group, an umbrella organization comprised of 30 community and faith-based organizations. On June 15, 2004, we held a joint public forum at the “Buddhist Temple Mississauga” - located at 6525 Millcreek Road in Mississauga (401 and Erin Mills Parkway) – featuring a final performance of the acclaimed multicultural puppet show for community and political leaders and organizations showcasing the important message of tolerance and diversity the project has for school children everywhere.

Have you improved relations with provincial, territorial, and/or regional organizations that deal with safety and crime prevention issues?

Information and partnership forums were held in Greater Toronto Area, Durham and Peel regions, focusing on generating a network for the exchange of information, and development of best practices in youth crime prevention. These first-of-a-kind community forums brought together youth services professionals, local communities, young people, the business community and the police in order to provide information on the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and to facilitate partnership strategy sessions.

There were an array of new contacts and sponsors providing leadership for these events, most notably: the Ontario Ministry of Public Safety and Security, the City of Toronto, Toronto Police Services, Rotary Club of Toronto, the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area, the Jamaican Canadian Centre, and the Toronto Youth Cabinet, the City of Toronto's Community & Neighbourhood Services, and Operation Springboard (specialists in "alternative to custody" youth programing, and the primary organizers and "lead hand" of the sessions).

We were able to participate in the information forums, share information, and publicize our own program through Operation Springboard's communication systems.

Did the project receive financial and in-kind contributions as planned?

Planned Revenues

Actual Revenues

B'nai Brith -- $50,000

$50,000.00

Toronto Access & Equity -- $20,000

$4,000.00

NCP-CMP -- $46,000

$42,000.00

If there were any differences between planned and actual revenues, what were the reasons for those differences?

Our funding partner The City of Toronto Access & Equity granted only a portion of our requested amount for materials only. The National Crime Prevention's Community Mobilization Program did not allot the portion of our funding request alloted to outside “consultants.”

Did you spend the monies as planned?

Planned Expenditures

Actual Expenditures

Personnel

professional/ volunteer -- $79,000

$79,000.00

Materials -- $11,000

$11,000.00

Rents/Utilities -- $10,700

$10,700.00

Evaluation -- $300

$300.00

Other -- $12,000

$12,000.00

If there were any differences between planned and actual expenditures, what were the reasons for those differences?

There were no differences in the planned and actual expenditures. The short-fall in the funding requested and the actual funding was made up by the B'nai Brith Foundation.

Now that your project is over, what are the next steps? How will the results of this project be applied?

Our goal is to establish The Multicultural Youth Outreach Program as part of a permanent range of multicultural education and anti-racism programs for children in this province, both in the primary school system and across the wider spectrum of ethnocultural community organizations.

Have you identified alternative sources of funding (financial and in-kind contributions) to continue the work of the project and/or to develop future projects?

Both the League for Human Rights and The Concerned Kids Charities of Toronto are actively seeking to identify alternative sources of funding (public, private and fee for service) and communities partnerships to continue this and other programs for children.

How did you and/or do you plan to communicate results within your community? (e.g. conferences and meetings; local and national media, etc.)

We did and do plan to communicated the results through meetings with other community organizations and through the local and national media.